


Born To Fly

by raendown



Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 Drabbles [161]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/pseuds/raendown
Summary: He was born with magic inside of him yet he's never been able to reach it. Until he meets a man named Minato, that is.
Relationships: Hatake Sakumo/Namikaze Minato
Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 Drabbles [161]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533161
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	Born To Fly

Sakumo peered over the edge. The chasm beneath their feet stretched for miles beneath the earth, far deeper than even his rune-enhanced eyes could reach. When he stumbled back to look at Minato the other wore no sympathy on his face.

“You can’t do it?” he asked with no emotion.

“I can’t. I…” Closing his eyes, Sakumo weakly fluttered the magic inside of him. “I still can’t reach it.”

When he was born his parents were told that he would be strong, that his Gift had the potential to level entire cities if trained by the right people. And yet as the years went by Sakumo lost more and more hope that he would ever be able to wield that deep reservoir inside of him. Forever it dangled just beyond his reached, burning at the edges of his fingertips, words on the end of his tongue. As frustrating as it had been as a child facing the expectations of those around him Sakumo had largely given up on himself as he grew in to adulthood. It brought him less pain than continuing to try.

Until he met Minato, bright shining Minato who summoned his own magic as easily as breathing, who took one look at Sakumo’s despondent apathy and told him that he could do better.

“You can,” his friend told him. “You can but something is holding you back. What you need is a push.”

“The faith you have in me is astounding,” Sakumo told him, his smile a brittle thing and close to shattering. After all these years he’d thought his failures wouldn’t hurt anymore. He was wrong.

“Of course I have faith. Because _you can do this_. Take the leap, my friend, and believe in yourself.”

Sakumo looked away. Having Minato there with him only made the sting of failing worse as the more time they spent together the deeper he fell in love. Yet how could he possibly think to ask for anything when he had so little to offer in return? Careful to set his weight, he looked out over the chasm again before closing his eyes.

Visualizing what he wanted had never been the problem. He could see it in his mind’s eye, a fantastical set of wings to lift him and carry him to the other side, glossy feathers in brilliant colors. The problems arose when he reached for the power to make it happen. It felt like reaching down a long tunnel and snagging his clothing on the way, holding him back just those last few inches to keep him from his goal. Sakumo strained and reached until he was forced to stop, panting for breath, dropping his head with shame.

“I cannot,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

“What are you sorry for?” Sakumo raised his head to find Minato with his own cocked to one side.

“For what I’m about to do,” was the solemn answer. “Grow a set of wings or die when you hit the bottom.”

Then he pushed Sakumo over the edge.

Wind screaming past his ears, heart thundering in his throat, it took a handful of seconds for the reality of what just happened to sink in and then panic was his first reaction. His second was an instinctual reach so deep inside of himself that he didn’t truly notice how far he had stretched until his body was flooded with sensation almost similar to a rush of endorphins. Everything from the top of his head downward tingled and then it happened. He grew wings.

From the corner of his eyes he could see them, feathered in silver and gold and glowing in setting sun. If he knew how to use them they would have been amazing. Panic returned anew as Sakumo futilely told his wings to flap and wished he had paid more attention in his biology or physics classes.

Arms wrapped around his waist and a voice whispered in his ear, “I’ve got you. Well done.”

Minato carried him on wings even larger than his own, wheeling back up in to the air and landing gracefully on the far side of the chasm from which they had fallen. Unsure if he would ever be able to accomplish another feat such as that one, Sakumo found himself unwilling to dismiss these new appendages behind him. They did make it slightly awkward for Minato to rush around to his front but the shuffling dance they did was worth it to have the man throw both arms around him again in a tight hug.

“I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!”

“Thank you,” Sakumo whispered. “I- I should have known that you would never let me fall like that.”

“Never,” Minato agreed.

He pulled away but not very far, just enough for their eyes to meet, a blush rising on Sakumo’s cheeks to see such unexpected tenderness in the gaze looking back at him. Never would he have expected a look like that from a man like Minato.

“I will always be here to catch you when you fall,” his friend told him.

Sakumo could think of nothing to say to that Minato didn’t seem to expect it anyway, kissing him without warning and stealing the very breath from his lungs.

Elated, practically floating in the clouds with joy, he took no notice of the literal light beaming from his person as they kissed, the magic held back for so long shining through as whatever barriers his mind had constructed crumbled away. It didn’t matter. When he did notice he would still believe that earning Minato’s regard, making this man proud of him, was a much bigger accomplishment.


End file.
